Friday, February 27, 2015

More and more people are learning the harsh effects of chemicals found in many skin care products. Prices are also on the rise. For that reason about a year ago, I started making my own face oil.

I will go ahead and say this, it might seem a little costly. But your face oil will last you forever! I mean seriously I have been using mine for over a year (only had to make it once). And I still have extras of all my oils.

There is so much experimenting you can do too with all the different carrier oils and essential oils. I have found a great combination for my skin, which is normal with some mild acne issues. I am not saying my face doesn't have those days when it breaks out more (that time of the month, anyone?), but overall my skin is really clear! I swear my face oil helps!

Many people have said their face is too oily to use oil but actually many times your face is producing extra oil to compensate for the stripping of natural oils.
I definitely think finding the right combination for you skin is key!

Here is my face oil "arsenal". Having a funnel makes it so much easier pouring everything in the bottle!

First start with an amber glass dropper bottle. Many essential oils can be tainted by light so the amber really helps. I also love the dropper bottles because I find them to be far less messy than just a normal bottle. They also look extra fancy sitting on my vanity. :)

Pick your carrier oil. This is the main oil present in your face oil so you definitely want to make sure it is a good one. I use jojoba oil and have had no issues with it. It is really beneficial for most skin types: dry, oily, aging, acne-prone.

Once you have picked your carrier oil fill your amber bottle 2/3 full of it.

Choose your "bonus oil". This is a good place to maybe splurge on an oil that might be a little more expensive because you are not using as much. These oils are a little more nourishing than your carrier oil. I use tamanu oil, which again can be used for most skin types. It is suppose to help with not only current acne but redness and scarring from old acne.

Fill the rest of your bottle with this oil. Leave just a little room at the top of your amber bottle.

Choose your essential oil! There are so many out there with tons of skin benefits. My personal favorites are lavender and tea tree oil.

Lavender is like the swiss army knife of essential oils. It has so many uses! As far as for your face it is great acne and calming your skin. I also use tea tree oil because again it is great for acne.

Only add around 4-6 drops of each. I go a little heavier because my face is not very sensitive but I would start with less initially.

Shake well and there you have it. Your own face oil!

Make sure to clean your face well before using because otherwise the oil will trap all the dirt on your face.

I usually only need a drop to cover my whole face. My face is brighter and more even skin toned than
before.

If you have any questions please let me know!

Tell me, do you make any of your own face products? What is your skin care regime?

Thursday, February 26, 2015

I remember being pregnant and one of the biggest piece of advice (besides enjoy your sleep while you can) was be prepared for how everything changes. Your routine, your relationship with your spouse, your entire life.

I'm not saying I disagree, the moment I held my baby girl in my arms my world was forever changed. I have now loved in a way that I wasn't even capable of understanding 7 months ago.

I have gotten a better glimpse at the unconditional love God has for us since becoming a mother. That definitely changes you.

I have become a more selfless person. I truly desire to first give to my daughter before taking for myself.

And of course what my days look like has changed. Going from working full time to being a stay-at-home mom.

However, what people don't tell you is how in so many ways you won't change. You will remain the same.

I had in my head what I would look like as a mother. Maybe I would be that cool mom who effortlessly lives life with a baby in tow.

Or maybe I would be the perfect housewife. Cooking gourmet meals, wearing her apron, looking put together every evening when her husband walks through the door.

Or maybe I would be a Pinterest mom. With all the things handmade! Clothes, toys, home decor, you name it I made it!

Well no matter what kind of mom I would be I would naturally have the patience of a saint and somehow morph into a gentler, more congenial version of myself. I would also be less emotional because as a mother I have to have my act together.

But here's the thing. I haven't changed. I am still awkward (just like I was pre-motherhood). I know it looks like my first time out with a baby everytime Landry and I leave the house.

I have not become June Cleaver. It's hit or miss if I will have dinner made. We eat out more than I would like to admit. And most days when Daniel walks through that door I am in yoga pants if he is lucky and already in my pjs the other times. I didn't suddenly become a woman who is constantly put together.

I am still not crafty. Let's not even look at some of my failed Pinterest projects.

As far as patience goes, could it be possible that I have even less? The only person that I am patient with is Landry! My poor husband and dogs get the short end of the stick with my patience.

And me being gentle and congenial? Well I am a pretty nice person and I am still the same loud person as before. And emotions? Why in the world would I think I would suddenly get those in check?

So for all the ways motherhood changes us and all the ways we hope it will, some things just stay the same. But that is what makes motherhood and parenthood beautiful. It looks different for all of us.

As I settle more into my role as a mother I am becoming increasingly ok with being me. Whatever that version of a mom looks like.

What kind of mom are you? How have things changed for you? How have they stayed the same?

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

I love when people do "Day in the Life" posts! I find them so fascinating and interesting. Even the mundane daily tasks interest me because that's life, you know? So I decided to do one! What a better way to get to know me and what a typical day looks like!

24 February 2015

5:30am.

Landry is awake. This has become life the last 2 months. She had been sleeping 12 hours, usually 6:45pm-6:45am. However, since introducing solids she has started pooping around 5-something most days. So ignoring her isn't an option.

Look out the window and it's a snow day. I am not a fan of winter and its not enough for Daniel to stay home from work. :(

I went in and checked, no poop. Laid her back down and she fell back asleep in about 15 minutes. Back to sleep I go.

6:05am.

Daniel's alarm goes off and I go back to sleep while he gets ready for work.

6:59am.

Landry is awake for the day. Daniel is a rockstar, so he has already made all the bottles for the day. I go grab one out of the fridge and go to get Landry up.

Diaper change. Which has become increasingly difficult with her new found ability to sit up on her own and crawl!

Bottle time. She eats 7ozs of her 8oz bottle.

Then we head to the kitchen for coffee with Daniel. Once we are done with coffee Landry and I keep Daniel company while he finishes getting ready for work.

7:38am

Daniel leaves for work and its breakfast time for Landry and me! Bananas for Landry and eggs for me.

8:07am.

Done with breakfast, kitchen cleaned up and on to making bed and sweeping our bedroom. Whoever says your house should be super clean when you are a stay-at-home mom is crazy! I swear our house is dirtier now than when I was at work. I have to sweep our floors almost everyday because of all the dirt the dogs drag in.

8:21am.

Independent playtime for Landry while I call my Papa to see how his snow day is going.

8:45am.

Landry is fussy a little earlier than normal and is rubbing her eyes so I decide early to nap. We get ready for nap and I lay her down. I lay her down awake because it teaches her to put herself to sleep instead of relying on me. She falls asleep in under 10 minutes.

8:51am.
Get ready for the day. Usually this means just brush my teeth but today we are leaving the house (got to get groceries!) so I actually do my makeup and put real clothes (besides yoga pants) on.

9:03am.
Work on blog posts.

9:40am.

Landry awake. Short nap and she wakes up cranky. But I hurry and get her diaper changed and get her dressed so we can run to the grocery store

9:54am.

Out the door to the store we go! Sometimes I go to the grocery store out of the way because they have a Starbucks inside. :) Coffee makes the world go round, right?

10:41am.

It's so pretty on our road!
Back home. Unpack the groceries.

10:50am.
Bottle for Landry. She takes her full 8ozs!

11:04am.

Diaper change, followed by teething tablets. It's like a waterfall coming out of this girl's mouth! She already has her two bottom teeth and I think she is trying to get the top two soon. We then play for a little bit.

Practice standing.

11:55am.
Lay her down for a nap. She falls asleep quickly.

I make myself lunch followed by editing some photos and checking facebook/instagram/twitter.

1:22pm.

Landry is awake. I get her up change her diaper and now it is time for lunch for Landry.

Tasty zucchini banana puree!

However, lunch time gets a little crazy. She is so over me feeding her. She really is preferring finger foods to purees now in days.

1:55pm.

Done with lunch and all cleaned up. We go to her room and change her shirt (so many outfit changes when eating solids!) and listen to some Disney pandora while playing with toys.

2:24pm.

Diaper change followed by a bottle. She eats her full 8ozs again!

3:05pm.

Lay her down for another nap. She seems extra tired today, I don't know if it is the teething or a growth spurt but I let the girl sleeps if she wants too!

While she sleeps I play with the pups some, check facebook, watch some Dance Moms online (don't judge me!) and try to decompress a little. It's been a rough day! Clingy, teething baby makes for one tired mama!

4:12pm.

Landry wakes up followed by another diaper change.

We go to my bathroom to play in the mirror for a little while! Then Landry nearly busts her face on the faucet so we quit playing in the bathroom.

4:24pm.

We go to my office to play a little while. We switch around rooms throughout the day so Landry and I both have a little change of scenery. We play "ride a little pony" and Landry just giggles up a storm.

She then watches as I play tug-of-war with the pups. She absolutely adores her pups!

5:21pm.

Daniel's home! Yay because Landry was getting fussy and nothing I did seemed to make her happy. We hang out in the bed together as a family.

5:48pm.

Daniel starts solids for Landry and she is stoked at first but then loses it. We take her to her room and have naked baby time.

6:20pm.

We start bedtime earlier than I would like because Landry just doesn't seem to be able to make it any longer. She is fussy and tired. Daniel begins to feed Landry and I leave to get us Zaxby's for dinner cause rough day meant I did not cook anything!

6:59pm.

I'm home, Landry's asleep, and we are eating Zaxby's while watching Gilmore Girls. Netflix binge-watching is what a lot of our nights look like in the winter. Beyond ready for summer so we can get out of the house a little more.

7:44pm.

Shower time. It's a hair washing night so I have to shower earlier to give my hair time to dry. I know exhilarating stuff right here!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Ok so before I was pregnant with Landry I lost around 40lbs. I wanted to be as healthy as possible for pregnancy so that hopefully everything would be fine.

I wanted to watch my weight during pregnancy but... well... you see... I didn't. I gained 45lbs :(

After Landry was born I lost around 20lbs. But then I went back to work. I worked at a doctor's office where we got free food/Starbucks/sweets from pharmaceutical representatives ALL the time. And I sat on my butt at my desk. So I gained 10lbs back! Ahhhh!

So now I've been a stay-at-home mom for 4 months and I haven't really lost any weight. I could name a bajillion reasons why I haven't but it comes down to I haven't made it a priority.

But in the last month or so Daniel and I have really decided to begin focusing again on our health (he gained pregnancy weight with me).

One of the steps that really helps me is cutting up a ton of veggies at the beginning of the week!

I am so much more likely to go for healthier options if I don't have to do that much prep. It also helps encourage us to eat at home because it doesn't take as long to prepare dinner.

I first fill the sink (freshly cleaned) with water and white vinegar. I then put all the veggies in there and wash them off as I pull them out to cut.

Also make sure you have your sous chef on hand. But if your is a baby like mine then don't let them do any cutting. Thus labeling them an inefficient sous chef. But she's so cute so it's ok!

Then I cut up my veggies! I use a cutting board and knife along with my mini food processor. Let me tell you about my mini food processor friends! It is the best darn thing since the immersion blender (don't EVEN get me started on the amazingness that is a immersion blender).

Ta-Da! Marvel at all the pretty veggies in a rainbow of colors! I got some tomatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, onions, and bell peppers cut up. Perfect for a variety of meals!

Monday, February 23, 2015

As my little blurb says I am a wife to Daniel, a mom to Landry, and a Netflix Binge-watcher extraordinaire.

I am a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) so naturally I decided to revive this old blog of mine because their isn't enough bloggers in the world ;) I considered deleting my old posts and starting from scratch. Mainly because I felt like the person who wrote those posts 3 years ago is so different than who I am now. But isn't that the point of having a blog? To see growth? So I decided to keep them to have something to look back on.To be honest though, I have decided to really jump into blogging because since becoming a SAHM I have felt a loss of community. I didn't have as many connections in Morganton to begin with outside of my coworkers. So I am hoping that blogging will help connect me to other women.

Here the crazy cast of characters in my day to day life:

This is Daniel, my wonderful husband. He is the level-headed analytical one. Which makes sense since he is an accountant.

This is Landry. She is the cute as a bunny and chews on everything one. Which makes sense since she's a baby.

This is Rin and Moo. They are the pee outside, sleep in the bed with us ones. Which probably doesn't make sense to everyone considering our daughter has never slept in our room ;)

Here's what you'll get from my blog:

A look at our life, flaws and all.

Tons of pictures of my daughter and dogs. I would say sorry but that would be a lie.

Some crafts. I'm not the craftiest person on the block but I have my moments.

Lists! Because who doesn't love a good bullet pointed list?

Pictures of my outfits. I am NOT a fashion bloggers, but occasionally I put on something besides yoga pants/leggings and want to share with the world.

I hope community. I want to build connections and relationships. I don't want this to be one-sided! Talk to me!

Here's what you won't get from my blog:

Perfection. I am not a perfect person, our life is not perfect, and my writing/grammar/spelling is not perfect. No false pretenses here, y'all!

Posting every day. I hope to post 3-4 times a week.

Impersonal. I want to get to know you! So comment. Share your experiences. Email me!

Disclosure

Invasion of Personal Space contains advertising and affiliate marketing links meaning I may get commission on some links clicked on my blog. I want to be open and honest with my readers. Thank you for supporting the companies/products that support my family.